Yeah, animations are broken, but i just decided that they don't break the game so i did not fix that, and focused on other stuff, but it does ruin the effect;)
I actually just wanted to make a proper 3d platformer, and instead of going into the usual collectathon, just aim for metroidvania. So I looked mostly at Rayman 2(the rope/hook), Banjo Kazooie (dialogues, puzzles, models), Kao the Kangaroo and yes, Croc/Croc 2 (for character design). I even have physical pc version of croc 2, though the big box was thrown away;)
I had one more world in my notes, but just would not finish it, so with many ideas scrapped its very bare boned. I really underestimated the effort for even making the 3d map, which is just simple poligons, but then tuning it, and making it correct, texture, etc. all takes time eh. And yeah, i guess making interconnected dungeon like map in 3d will almost instantly make a metroidvania-like game, because its all about exploration and honestly its much better served in 3d than in 2d. Though the 2d don't get people so lost;)